The present invention relates in general to a novel packaging and dispensing system for finger bandages and in particular to packaging systems for a plurality of finger bandages.
Commercially available finger bandages are individually wrapped. The most widely used packaging means comprises an outer wrapper which must be torn open to obtain a finger bandage enclosed therein. Such finger bandages, typically consist of a backing, on one side of which is a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on which a pad is centrally positioned. Both adhesive coated areas are covered with individual release liners.
While the aforementioned prior art packaging does accomplish a sterile enclosure it does have disadvantages.
The primary disadvantages can collectively be attributed to awkwardness and/or difficulty in application. In order to apply the prior art bandage one first needs to remove the bandage from its outer wrapping, e.g. by pulling apart the unattached ends of the outer package; then individually peel off each release liner one at a time. Notably, when one release liner is removed, one needs to hold on to the adhesive surface on one side while removing the other release liner or risk contamination of the pad prior to application to a wound. Depending on the aggressiveness of the adhesive holding on to the adhesive surface can be quite cumbersome. For one, maneuvering the bandage into a position over the wound can lead to the adhesive surface sticking to itself, making application at a minimum uncomfortable if not impossible and often amounting to discarding of the entire bandage and starting anew.
The aforementioned disadvantage in application is not only cumbersome and time consuming but a delay in application has the more deleterious effect of increasing the exposure of a wound to environmental contaminants.
An additional disadvantage of the prior art highlighted by present day societal concerns, is the economic and ecological waste encountered with 2 throw away release liners.
Still a further disadvantage of the prior art particularly deleterious when considering the application of finger bandages to wounds, is evidenced in the difficulty encountered with opening said bandages. As previously described, the bandage is opened by pulling the outer packaging in opposite directions. Given the circumstances necessitating a bandage, opening is usually done with urgency. Thus the unsecured enclosed bandage easily falls out of its enclosure if not held in a perfect horizontal position. This scenario again leads to contamination and inapplicability to wounds resulting in economic waste.
Still a further disadvantage lies not in the particular packaging but in the very fact that each bandage is individually wrapped.
It is also known in the art to provide a box of finger bandages comprising a roll of individually wrapped bandages, which roll is perforated horizontally between finger bandages so as to dilineate individually wrapped bandages. The customer uses such dispensing means by tearing along the perforated line and opening each individual wrapper in the aforementioned manner, thereby encountering the same disadvantages as mentioned before.
Illustrative of prior art bandages is U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,449 issued to Kozlow, which discloses "an adhesive bandage and package is provided wherein the package portion of the bandage serves as means by which the bandage may be applied to the wound without affecting sterility. More precisely, the adhesive bandage, having a backing, and a pad with a facing, and is partially covered by a first covering material covering just the pad and one adhesive coated area and serves as means to apply the bandage. The partially covered adhesive bandage is covered by a second suitable covering material that is heat, pressure, or ultrasonic sealed on the four sides parallel to the edges of the cover. One portion of the cover extends beyond the seal lines and serves as means for opening and applying the bandage."
The present invention obviates the disadvantages of and distinguishes over the prior art in an elegant and novel manner, as will be seen in the following description.